ASSISTANCE ANIMALS

We only accept dogs as assistance animals in our Partnership flights.

We will accept assistance dogs in Istanbul-USA and USA-Istanbul flights in accordance with US D.O.T regulations.

Passengers traveling with an assistant dog due to physical or psychological disability are required to provide related documents and obtain a booking confirmation at least 48 hours before departure.

Assistance dogs are classified as service dogs (SVAN) and emotional support dogs (ESAN).

SVAN

We accept your SVAN dogs free of charge in all our flights.

SVAN dogs must be trained and certified. Training certificate of the dog may be requested in case verbal assurance cannot not be provided. Please be certain to have your dog’s training certificate, certificate of vaccination,

identification card and all documents required by the rules of the destination country. In case of absence of necessary documents, SVAN may not be accepted to flight.

If SVAN dog behaves aggressively during check-in and/or boarding, if it is not well-maintained and clean or too heavy and too big, or if the dog causes a safety hazard and/or in case the crew informs that the dog might cause interruption of services, such SVAN dog may not be accepted to the cabin.

On flights scheduled to take 8 hours or more, as a condition of permitting assistance animals to travel in the cabin, we require passengers using the service animal to provide documentation that the animal will not need to relieve itself or the said animal can relieve itself in a way that does not create a health or sanitation issue during flight. Acceptable documents;

• A written statement issued by a veterinarian
• A written statement including the procedures that passenger will be implementing to prevent the dog from having to relieve itself
• A signed statement with photographs or other illustrations of your dog’s ability to relieve itself without posing a health or sanitation problem
• A letter of undertaking stating that in case of accidental relief of the dog, the contaminated area will be cleaned by the dog’s owner (please bring bags, napkins, wipes, etc with you)

All damages that may arise during travel are under passenger’s responsibility.

SVAN dogs must be wearing a vest and/or an identifying harness; they must be clean and seated in front of your feet during flight. Also, the extension of your dog's leash or harness should be attached to your belt throughout the flight. It is strictly forbidden for SVAN dogs to sit on passenger seats. When traveling with SVAN dogs, you should definitely make available a mouthpiece as a precaution, in case of barking, bared teeth, etc.

Please note that we may have to change your seat due to security reasons.

ESAN

We accept ESAN dogs free of charge only in flights from Istanbul to US or from USA to Istanbul. In connection flights before and after these routes, your dog will be transported for a fee in a cage in passenger cabin or aircraft hold. Related fee will be collected at the initial departure point. Passengers having connection flights are required to carry empty cages in strictly appropriate dimensions. Cage will be free of charge.

The requirements to travel with ESAN dogs are as follows:

1. Passengers shall submit official documentation on a letterhead of a licensed mental health professional (e.g. a psychiatrist, psychologist, licensed clinical social worker, including a medical doctor specifically treating the passenger’s mental or emotional disability) and the said document shall be dated within one year from the date of passenger’s scheduled initial flight. This document shall contain the following information:
   • Statement that the passenger has a DSM 4 or DSM 5 disability according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders;
   • Information on the fact that passenger needs emotional support or psychiatric assistance animal for air travel and/or for activities to be conducted at the passenger’s destination;
   • Information stating that the individual providing assessment is a licensed mental health expert, and the passenger is under his/her professional care;
   • The date and type of the mental health professional’s license issued by the state or other competent authorities;
   • The report must be in English or translated into English.
2. On flights scheduled to take 8 hours or more, as a condition of permitting assistance animals to travel in the cabin, passengers using the service animal are required to submit documentation stating that the animal will not need to relieve itself or the said animal can relieve itself in a way that does not create a health or sanitation issue during flight. Acceptable documents;

• A written statement issued by a veterinarian
• A written statement including the procedures that passenger will be implementing to prevent the dog from having to relieve itself
• A signed statement with photographs or other illustrations of your dog’s ability to relieve itself without posing a health or sanitation problem
• A letter of undertaking stating that in case of accidental relief of the dog, the contaminated area will be cleaned by the dog’s owner (please bring bags, napkins, wipes, etc with you)

Our passengers who travel with ESAN dogs shall have their valid certificate of vaccination, identification card, and documents required by the country’s they are planning to visit. In case of absence of necessary documents, ESAN may not be accepted to flight.

If ESAN dog behaves aggressively during check-in and/or boarding, if it is not well-maintained and clean or too heavy and too big, or if the dog causes a safety hazard and/or in case the crew informs that the dog might cause interruption of services, such SVAN dog may not be accepted to the cabin. However, it may be accepted as an AVIH depending on the conditions of aircraft hold.

All damages that may arise during travel are under passenger’s responsibility.

ESAN dogs must be clean and seated in front of your feet during flight. Also, the extension of your dog's leash or harness should be attached to your belt throughout the flight. It is strictly forbidden for ESAN dogs to sit on passenger seats. When traveling with ESAN dogs, you should definitely make available a mouthpiece as a precaution, in case of barking, bared teeth, etc.

We accept the empty cage for ESAN during check-in procedures in US airports for our passengers who come from US and has connection flight from Istanbul. We will deliver your dog's cage at the boarding gate of your connection flight from Istanbul. After you place your dog in cage, we will transport your dog to the cabin or aircraft hold according to our regulations.

The dogs of our passengers arriving to Istanbul from other airports and having a connection flight to USA are accepted at the initial departure point according to our regulations in cages to be transported in passenger cabin or aircraft hold. During boarding of the Istanbul-USA flight, we will take your dog's empty cage and transport it in the aircraft hold.

Please note that we may have to change your seat due to security reasons.